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Chris talk about the ice packs on his cheek, he looks at the photos of the November challenge winners (thanks Chris, Cedomil and Roan), Bob wonders about web photo consistency (is there any at all?) and Chris is giving Anchor another shake and … we’ll have to talk about Patreon.

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Robert tries to take photos with good colors at a camp fire, Raja wonders about what the switch to Full Frame could do to his speedlights.

Also Chris introduces his new podcast The Future of Photography where he and Adrian Stock (of Sunny 16 fame) explore the ways new technology can help you make fantastic photos. Subscribe wherever you find your other podcasts.

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Chris does a quick wrap-up of the latest Bhutan photo tour (hint: it was a wonderful experience all around). He will NOT talk about phalluses this time Dan has a question that prompts Chris to try to explain what a color space is and where you should be and where you shouldn’t be worried about them.

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In this special episode that was recorded during the 2017 Bhutan photo tour, he talks with Adrain Stock aka Ade of the Sunny 16 podcast who brought two Nikon film SLRs to this tour. Topics include Bhutan, the phallus cult, the Divine Mad Man and of course traveling with film through one of the most beautiful Himalayan countries.

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Find out the truth about the top floor and nothing but the truth. Marcalia has a question about synchronizing LR catalog & settings between two computers and Robert wonders about what Magenta really is.. because unlike any other color, Magenta is not part of the rainbow.

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After Marques Brownlee discussed the DxOMark and its problems on his YouTube channel, Chris takes a critical look at benchmarking in general and also at the DxOMark. Also on the show: Corey cannot decide if he should upgrade his gear before the vacation and Chris chimes in.

]]>Little post mixup this morning, we made a mistake and had to re-post the episode. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Now that Apple decided to adopt the open HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for their photos, let’s take a closer look at what that means for the future of our photography on the web. When will we have to convert everything over to HEIF? Or will we have to at all?

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Jon wonders if the 50/1.8 is a gimmick or if there’s more to it. Allan Attridge of the Two Hosers Podcast returns to the show to discuss a really interesting follow-up question regarding attribution: what if your photo gets published but you DONT’T want attribution?

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This episode is about a question that many of you have probably asked yourself at one point or another in your photographic learning process. Why do we have to edit our photos? Or do we have to at all?

Now that many of you are updating to iOS 11, you’ll notice that a few of your older apps don’t work anymore because they don’t support 64 bits. The Pocket Chris apps are among those.

It wasn’t an easy decision to let Pocket Chris go, but unfortunately a necessary one. Making Pocket Chris was a great exercise in which my brother Peter and developer Johannes did an amazing job, pulling their graphics and tech expertise together while making it a fun to play with app that at the same time was also a great little teaching tool for your pocket.

While for some apps the move from 32 to 64 bits is relatively easy and doesn’t require more than a recompile and new upload to Apple’s servers, that’s not the case for Pocket Chris. In fact we’d have to start pretty much from scratch. Not only doesn’t the app support any kind of auto layout, which nowadays is pretty much essential due to the variety of screen sizes, the assets (e.g. the images and screen elements) are too small for current display resolutions and would also have to be re-done.

While I’d love to get my hands dirty again and bring Pocket Chris up to the current standards, there is simply no business case for it. The cost to rewrite Pocket Chris would go into the thousands of Euros and the experience from the first versions and the sales figures that go with that makes it clear that most of that would have to come out of my own pocket. Pretty much the only way most app developers make money (or at least break even) these days is by either going freemium and have a compelling in-app-purchase model or by going with a subscription model. To execute any of those models well and right, I would have to make Pocket Chris my full-time job and give up other things in the process.

So I’m a bit sad that I have to say good bye to Pocket Chris, but at the same time I’m happy for the great experience that making Pocket Chris allowed me to gather.

PS: I’m certainly not out of ideas for future apps from the Top Floor universe.. so if you are an iOS developer, ping me if you’d like the opportunity to work with me for fame and glory (but unfortunately not a lot of money)

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDR
Photo by Andrew Branch
Now that many of you are updating to iOS 11, you’ll notice that a few of your older apps don’t work anymore because they don’t support 64 bits. The Pocket Chris apps are among…<p><img src="//79392-219928-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/andrew-branch-126770-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="840" height="560" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-7376" srcset="//79392-219928-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/andrew-branch-126770-1024x683.jpg 1024w, //79392-219928-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/andrew-branch-126770-300x200.jpg 300w, //79392-219928-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/andrew-branch-126770-768x512.jpg 768w, //79392-219928-raikfcquaxqncofqfm.stackpathdns.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/andrew-branch-126770-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 709px) 85vw, (max-width: 909px) 67vw, (max-width: 1362px) 62vw, 840px" /><br />
<em>Photo by Andrew Branch</em></p>
<p>Now that many of you are updating to iOS 11, you&#8217;ll notice that a few of your older apps don&#8217;t work anymore because they don&#8217;t support 64 bits. The Pocket Chris apps are among those.</p>
<p>It wasn&#8217;t an easy decision to let Pocket Chris go, but unfortunately a necessary one. Making Pocket Chris was a great exercise in which my brother Peter and developer Johannes did an amazing job, pulling their graphics and tech expertise together while making it a fun to play with app that at the same time was also a great little teaching tool for your pocket.</p>
<p>While for some apps the move from 32 to 64 bits is relatively easy and doesn&#8217;t require more than a recompile and new upload to Apple&#8217;s servers, that&#8217;s not the case for Pocket Chris. In fact we&#8217;d have to start pretty much from scratch. Not only doesn&#8217;t the app support any kind of auto layout, which nowadays is pretty much essential due to the variety of screen sizes, the assets (e.g. the images and screen elements) are too small for current display resolutions and would also have to be re-done. </p>
<p>While I&#8217;d love to get my hands dirty again and bring Pocket Chris up to the current standards, there is simply no business case for it. The cost to rewrite Pocket Chris would go into the thousands of Euros and the experience from the first versions and the sales figures that go with that makes it clear that most of that would have to come out of my own pocket. Pretty much the only way most app developers make money (or at least break even) these days is by either going freemium and have a compelling in-app-purchase model or by going with a subscription model. To execute any of those models well and right, I would have to make Pocket Chris my full-time job and give up other things in the process.</p>
<p>So I&#8217;m a bit sad that I have to say good bye to Pocket Chris, but at the same time I&#8217;m happy for the great experience that making Pocket Chris allowed me to gather.</p>
<p>PS: I&#8217;m certainly not out of ideas for future apps from the Top Floor universe.. so if you are an iOS developer, ping me if you&#8217;d like the opportunity to work with me for fame and glory (but unfortunately not a lot of money)</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/2017/09/20/pocket-chris-go/">Why Pocket Chris Has to Go</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://tipsfromthetopfloor.com">PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR</a>.</p>
790 Love the Camera You Shoot Withhttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6793129
Fri, 15 Sep 2017 03:00:18 +0000Chris Marquardthttps://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=7369Chris talks about a literal bug in his computer, about Pocket Chris, about why it’s so important that you love the camera you shoot with and Bill visits Dresden, Germany and Chris chimes in with a few travel photo tips for that area of our beautiful country. RECEIVE EMAIL FOR NEW EPISODES Links: Moritzburg Castle … Continue reading "790 Love the Camera You Shoot With"

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Chris talks about a literal bug in his computer, about Pocket Chris, about why it’s so important that you love the camera you shoot with and Bill visits Dresden, Germany and Chris chimes in with a few travel photo tips for that area of our beautiful country.

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Francois wonders about how Lightroom presets make sense and Chris has a deeper look at how he uses them. Dave has a few questions about the photos that are up on the Viewfinder Villa walls.. so Chris takes you on a little tour of the house.

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Let’s look at how a spaghetti strainer can help you learn about photography. There are three new and probably a bit exotic lenses on the horizon and Chris explains what they are good for. He also looks at the tricks of the press photographers to help you take better hand-held low light shots.

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Danny wonders how to make money with his travel photography and Chris explains his personal story around that topic. Chris has been interviewed by Photo Live Magazine and takes a closer look at the great photos that the listeners submitted to this round of the Slack Photo Challenge.

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Let’s look at how a DSLR shutter works, with its spring-loaded bladed shutters and its electro magnets and how it’s possible to program and run a shutter using an Arduino. We’ll also dive into keywording strategies and have a look at where photography might go from here with the new developments in image recognition and 3D sensing.

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On this quick-fire Q&A episode Terry wonders about print sizes & aspect ratios, Michael has questions about prisms and mirrors in cameras and Oliver is looking into experimenting with home-made lenses.

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On this quick-fire question and answer episode, Andy wonders why lenses are round and Chris talks about how lenses are made and how the round shape makes most sense. John has a LR workflow question and Mark is curious about digital medium format. Chris goes into detail on why medium format isn’t clearly defined and on the differences between film medium format and digital medium format.

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This episode features questions on broken links, printing your photos as a physical backup, the whereabouts of the Marquardt International Pinhole project, lens elements and groups and an SD card tester for Windows.

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On this rapid-fire Q&A episode: Adam is interested in avoiding losing his photos in times of ransomware and Chris lays out his strategy from shooting through editing to archiving, to make sure he never loses a single photo. Hampus goes whale watching to Iceland and wonders what focal length makes the most sense and Heramb from India noticed a strange focus artefact in a Quentin Tarantino movie and Chris digs out one of Hollywood film-makers’ secrets: the split diopter.

]]>On today’s episode Chris reveals the winners of the last TFTTF Slack Challenge (join the Slack here)- and Release Pixie Ravsitar reveals the new one.

Chris and David DuChemin discuss what’s more important, the tech, or The Soul of the Camera (which happens to be the title of David’s new book too).

David duChemin is a world & humanitarian assignment photographer, best-selling author, and international workshop leader whose adventurous life fuels his fire to create and share. Based in Victoria, Canada, when he’s home, David leads a semi-nomadic life chasing compelling images on all 7 continents. His work can be found at DavidduChemin.com

Socorro, Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico. Silky sharks playing behind our dive boat gave us a great excuse to make some photographs. Photo: David DuChemin

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDR
On today’s episode Chris reveals the winners of the last TFTTF Slack Challenge (join the Slack here)- and Release Pixie Ravsitar reveals the new one.
Chris and David DuChemin discuss what’s more imp…
On today&#8217;s episode Chris reveals the winners of the last TFTTF Slack Challenge (join the Slack here)- and Release Pixie Ravsitar reveals the new one.
Chris and David DuChemin discuss what&#8217;s more important, the tech, or The Soul of the Camera (which happens to be the title of David&#8217;s new book too).
David duChemin is a world &#038; humanitarian assignment photographer, best-selling author, and international workshop leader whose adventurous life fuels his fire to create and share. Based in Victoria, Canada, when he’s home, David leads a semi-nomadic life chasing compelling images on all 7 continents. His work can be found at DavidduChemin.com
Socorro, Revillagigedo Archipelago, Mexico. Silky sharks playing behind our dive boat gave us a great excuse to make some photographs. Photo: David DuChemin
Gabra women dancing, North Horr, Kenya. Photo: David DuChemin
Singing Well. Nachoto Galmagaleh. Photo: David DuChemin
RECEIVE EMAIL FOR NEW EPISODES
Links:
The Soul of the Camera
David DuChemin
Craft &amp; Vision
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Download the MP3 for this episode
Receive TFTTF updates via email
Photo tours with Chris Marquardt:
» May 2017: Svalbard — Arctic (sold out)
» Oct 2017: Bhutan — The Happiness Kingdom (only 1 spot open)
» Jan 2018: Ladakh — Chadar Trek
» Aug 2018: Ireland — Giant's Causeway
» Sep 2018: Norway — Lofoten Fantastic Fjords
» Oct 2018: Morocco
» all photo tours
The post 779 David DuChemin: The Soul of the Camera appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
778 Arctic Sirenshttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527269
Thu, 01 Jun 2017 18:39:03 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=7285Chris is back from his Arctic photo travels on the s/v Noorderlicht around Svalbard, together with a wonderful group of photographers and he brought home some stories. Learn about Spitzbergen, the world’s biggest laboratory, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (and if it’s really flooded from melting permafrost), Ny-Ålesund, Barentsburg and Longyearbyen. Hear about the Svalbard … Continue reading "778 Arctic Sirens"

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Chris is back from his Arctic photo travels on the s/v Noorderlicht around Svalbard, together with a wonderful group of photographers and he brought home some stories. Learn about Spitzbergen, the world’s biggest laboratory, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (and if it’s really flooded from melting permafrost), Ny-Ålesund, Barentsburg and Longyearbyen. Hear about the Svalbard wildlife, including reindeer, birds, seals, walrus, polar fox, wales and about our exciting polar bear encounter.

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Chris takes a closer look at ND filter systems and helps you determine what you need – and what you don’t. To make sure you have ample time to practice until this summer .. let’s do an early start and talk about how to shoot a solar eclipse. Also if you send in a question by Jun 10 2017, Chris will send you a little surprise. Instructions inside the show.

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In this special episode we’ll find out if “having something” is better than “needing something”, we’ll learn what’s so magic about dipping your fingers in chemistry, and you get to listen in while Chris talks to a particle physicist at the Large Hedron Collider project about how to produce dead pixels on your camera sensor.

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TJ sends in a follow-up on his extension tube story and how he solved it.. Chris takes a look at SpaceX and how they make use of cameras and Doug had a creative experience with fireworks and wonders if there are more creative things you can do with photography.

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Chris takes a look at what you can achieve with an extension tube, why you should know that there are different kinds of extension tubes and how the professionals do their macro photography. There’s talk about Nikon CPU and non-CPU lenses and Chris will also use this episode to bring you something that he just talked about on another podcast: why if you’re going film, self developing it is essential when you shoot black and white.

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Chris takes a closer look at the economics of monobath developer, an exploration why the Lab Box is still a great idea and how to avoid sticky fingers when trying to coax a roll of 120 film onto a development reel. On the digital side, Chris looks into free image editing tools on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and even on Blackberry.

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Chris messed up and answered a question that wasn’t even asked. Let’s fix that and discuss the difference between circular and rectangular ND filters. TFTTF gets some online recognition, Chris posted a 360 degree video of Lake Baikal, and double-goof: Chris had the new challenge introduction all along. Well, it’s never too late. Also a look at if and why a macro lens makes for a good portrait lens.

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Chris has a closer look at failed photo-related crowdfunding campaigns, Job needs advice on a 3D camera and Gerald wonders about the difference between a linear and a circular polarizer. Plus: the review of the current Slack photo challenge.

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Chris analyzes the claim that you can develop film in beer and comes to the conclusion that that’s unlikely. But he knows how it was done. There’s a recap of the question on color-blind photography (more in the episode linked below). Also some conclusions about the ongoing Anchor experiment.. it’s not looking rosy.

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDR
Chris analyzes the claim that you can develop film in beer and comes to the conclusion that that’s unlikely. But he knows how it was done. There’s a recap of the question on color-blind pho…
Chris analyzes the claim that you can develop film in beer and comes to the conclusion that that&#8217;s unlikely. But he knows how it was done. There&#8217;s a recap of the question on color-blind photography (more in the episode linked below). Also some conclusions about the ongoing Anchor experiment.. it&#8217;s not looking rosy.
RECEIVE EMAIL FOR NEW EPISODES
Links:
A Use for that Last Cup of Coffee: Film and Paper Development (Dr. Scott Williams and the Technical Photographic Chemistry 1995 Class, Rochester Institute of Technology)
Anchor, stop crippling your success – Chris Marquardt&#8217;s Soapbox
&#8220;Beernol&#8221;: How to Develop Your Film with Beer · Lomography
Develop Film with Beer? It&#8217;s Possible | PDNPulse
Search: caffenol | Flickr
Organic Acids in Coffee
Coffee, Tea, Or Vitamin CKitchen Chemistry In The Darkroom | Shutterbug
tfttf707 &#8211; Color Blind &#8211; PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR
Color Blindness Tests | Colblindor
SPONSOR: Audible &#8211; You can’t make more time, but you can make the most of it.
Download the MP3 for this episode
Receive TFTTF updates via email
Photo tours with Chris Marquardt:
» May 2017: Svalbard — Arctic (sold out)
» Oct 2017: Bhutan — The Happiness Kingdom (only 1 spot open)
» Jan 2018: Ladakh — Chadar Trek
» Aug 2018: Ireland — Giant's Causeway
» Sep 2018: Norway — Lofoten Fantastic Fjords
» Oct 2018: Morocco
» all photo tours
The post 769 Does Beer Develop? appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
768 Lightroom Speed Boosthttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527279
Thu, 16 Mar 2017 23:01:44 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=7197John Michael wonders how to speed up his Lightroom and Chris goes into the intricacies of setting up and using different preview sizes, smart previews and how the right setup can make Lightroom much faster. Chris also answers the question on why he upgraded to the 7D Mark II – the answer might be surprising. … Continue reading "768 Lightroom Speed Boost"

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John Michael wonders how to speed up his Lightroom and Chris goes into the intricacies of setting up and using different preview sizes, smart previews and how the right setup can make Lightroom much faster. Chris also answers the question on why he upgraded to the 7D Mark II – the answer might be surprising. Sean wonders if he should get a regular ND filter or a variable one and Chris explains the differences and why one is probably better than the other.

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Joan isn’t quite happy about the sharpness of his photos of people and Chris does a few sophisticated guesses on what he means and how to counter it and get sharper photos of people. Kevin wonders how to tame the flood of RAW and JPG images in his Lightroom and if he needs both at all.

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Today Chris will tackle the tough questions. Terry wonders about photography in science and Chris elaborates on a few techniques and wonders how it relates to the arts. And Kevin wonders about the ethics of photography at a women’s protest march.

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Chris talks about HDR and about carrying two heavy cameras on a frozen lake. He also has a little favor to ask from you: please fill out the podcast listener survey at podsurvey.com/topfloor

High Dynamic Range Photography

Chris also dives into High Dynamic Range and takes a closer look at the ins and outs. The topic can be a bit controversial, depending on who you ask. Some like the over-the-top colors and contrasts. For others it’s a subtle way to get more detail in the shadows without too much additional noise. High Dynamic Range photography has many facets. It is usually a multi-step process. Step 1) take several photos with different exposures. Step 2) merge them into an HDR image. Step 3) do tone-mapping, e.g. map the large space into a smaller one for the screen or for paper. Most HDR software hides the complexity and wraps HDR creation and tone-mapping into a seamless procedure. Chris’ favorite tool is Lightroom because of its subtlety. If you want the painterly-like stronger results, you should check out Photomatix or Aurora.

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James wants a camera that can shoot movie-like quality. Chris explains how to evaluate cameras and that the movie-like qualities of movies are not necessarily only due to the cameras. The soft factors include anything from lighting, color correction, editing, pacing, music, and last but not least: story. Thomas is a self-confessed can’t-delete-photos-aholic and Chris takes a brief dive into tackling that problem from two different directions: making sure to not shoot as much (easier said than done) and a way to tame the deluge of photos that’s on our hard drive. Finally a question about bouncing flash and how to optimize on the settings for this type of photography.

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Ravsitar brings us a new slack photo challenge (if you’re not on the slack, get on board here), Simone wonders about vignetting caused by leaf shutters and how that is different from focal plane shutters, T.J. wants to exercise his photo skills indoors during the dark winter season in Minneapolis and Mark asks about switching photo editors, if Capture One Pro is an alternative to Lightroom. This prompts Chris to talk about Lightroom, Capture One Pro and Serif’s Affinity and their plans for entering the digital asset management (DAM) market

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Tour participant Jeff scored in a photo contest, Michael and Thomas wonder about how robust their cameras are, Mario needs a motivational boost for his photography and Paul wonders if you can enter a photo contest with an unprocessed RAW file. Is there such a thing as an unprocessed RAW file at all?

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Listener Chris wonders about weather sealing and condensation on his camera, Niels tries to micro-adjust the focus on his lens and Ray is looking for opinions on Art lenses. Oh, and we take a quick look at Kodak’s new announcement to bring their 10 year discontinued slide film Ektachrome back.

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Happy New Year everyone! Chris looks back at 2016, looks out to what 2017 will bring and even takes a peek into his 2018 plans as his calendar already begins to fill up. Including some brand-new tours: Morocco and the Chadar Trek in Ladakh, Kashmere. Ben is curious about exposure modes and how they affect the camera when in Manual mode. And Mark Gilvey adds some great thoughts about monitor calibration. Doing it right is a lot better than ignoring it and he brings a compelling argument to the table.

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Doug wonders why we use red green and blue for our photography and not something else and Chris goes a bit into trichromacy and how our eyes work similar to the sensor on our cameras. Bill wonders about the colors on his screen vs. the colors on his prints and Chris visited a massive photo exhibition that you can see in the span of about 2 minutes.

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Todd is trying to find ways to bend his lens, George wonders what it takes to make sure that his photos don’t get lost when he’s gone and Chris will try to find out if the new AI-powered camera RELONCH is a threat to professional photography. Hint: it isn’t just yet.

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Sawyer calls in with a great tip on focusing with an ND filter and Chris has a few thoughts on the focus trap and how to reliably determine distance without autofocus. Jim wonders about the camera gear to bring on a photo tour and Chris gives an example based on some of the previous photo tours. Brett will do some motorsport photography and is looking for tips and tricks and Barry’s autofocus is way off after he invested in an f/2.8 lens. Chris suspects that there is some serious misalignment at play here between the lens and the camera.

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDR
Sawyer calls in with a great tip on focusing with an ND filter and Chris has a few thoughts on the focus trap and how to reliably determine distance without autofocus. Jim wonders about the camera…
Sawyer calls in with a great tip on focusing with an ND filter and Chris has a few thoughts on the focus trap and how to reliably determine distance without autofocus. Jim wonders about the camera gear to bring on a photo tour and Chris gives an example based on some of the previous photo tours. Brett will do some motorsport photography and is looking for tips and tricks and Barry&#8217;s autofocus is way off after he invested in an f/2.8 lens. Chris suspects that there is some serious misalignment at play here between the lens and the camera.
RECEIVE EMAIL FOR NEW EPISODES
Links:
Help TFTTF become more visible by giving it an iTunes rating
Affinity Photo 1.5 is out
Adobe Lightroom CC 2015.8 is out
Photo Tours and Workshops with Chris Marquardt
Lake Baikal photos by Chris Marquardt &#8211; Gallery 1
Lake Baikal photos by Chris Marquardt &#8211; Gallery 2
Chris talks about his new/old MacBook on TFTTF 750
Online Depth of Field Calculator
SPONSOR: Cloudspot.io, the crazy fast photo delivery service &#8211; try it for free, use code TOPFLOOR to save 20% on your first year
Chris on Facebook
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Download the MP3 for this episode
Receive TFTTF updates via email
Photo tours with Chris Marquardt:
» May 2017: Svalbard — Arctic (sold out)
» Oct 2017: Bhutan — The Happiness Kingdom (only 1 spot open)
» Jan 2018: Ladakh — Chadar Trek
» Aug 2018: Ireland — Giant's Causeway
» Sep 2018: Norway — Lofoten Fantastic Fjords
» Oct 2018: Morocco
» all photo tours
The post 757 Affinity appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
756 To Downsize or not to Downsizehttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527291
Thu, 08 Dec 2016 23:05:41 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=7003This is a quick-fire episode – three questions, three answers – Mark wants to downsize his camera and is looking at mirrorless, Bob has a hard time to focus with a 10 stop ND filter and Chris discusses live view, zooming in, manual focus and Ryan is thinking about going more wide angle – hear … Continue reading "756 To Downsize or not to Downsize"

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This is a quick-fire episode – three questions, three answers – Mark wants to downsize his camera and is looking at mirrorless, Bob has a hard time to focus with a 10 stop ND filter and Chris discusses live view, zooming in, manual focus and Ryan is thinking about going more wide angle – hear Chris discuss the benefits and drawbacks that Ryan might encounter.

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Today’s episode is about overcoming fears, about doing something you haven’t done before and about repairing a shutter. Chris also does a quick detour into photo history, talking about Prontor and Compur shutters and how they defined a standard that has been part of many cameras and still is even until today: the PC Sync port. Hear Chris and Nick Fancher talk about his new book Studio Anywhere 2: Hard Light – they talk about reducing gear, getting visually stunning results from small flash and learning to get more out of the things you already own.

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Andy listens to TFTTF under ground, Adam wonders how to test for maximum dynamic range of your camera and Chris dives right in, to the point where he gets out the camera and does a live test on the show. Holger calls in from Mexico and wonders if what he’s doing with his polarizer is the right thing.. you will learn about the right light, the proper angles and the best things to use a polarizer for. Right down to Rayleigh scattering.

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Chris discusses 4k video on the Canon 5D Mark IV, we hear from a lawyer turned wedding photographer, how to make your wide angle lens even wider and why most cameras end their automatic exposure at 30 seconds.

Also, find out how you can become an instant hero for the rest of the TFTTF community!

]]>Every time I prepare a photo tour that centers on landscape photography, there are questions on what photo equipment to bring. The most common theme regarding lenses is: the wider the better. But while that’s a natural instinct, a super wide angle is not necessarily the best choice for your landscape photography.

Our eyes

Let’s first have a look at the angle of view that our eyes can cover. We achieve about an 180 degree horizontal angle with both eyes together. That’s a lot. To cover that same angle with a super wide angle lens and a full-frame camera, you’ll need about a 10mm fish-eye. Now let’s have a look at focal length, e.g. the magnification of our eyes compared to our cameras. This is all a bit of an over-simplification, but our eyes are similar to a 50mm lens in the way they show proportions between things at different distance from the camera.

The main problem is that the 50mm lens only covers about 40 degrees.

So this is where the problem lies: you can’t bring the two together, our cameras and our eyes are just very different animals:

There’s one property of wide angle lenses that we didn’t talk about yet – and that’s their tendency to make things disappear into the background. The shorter the focal length, the more drastic this effect will be. With a fish-eye, everything will become your picture’s background – unless you get very very close. And with landscapes you are usually not too close, so chances are the whole scene will just not register the way you see it with your eyes.

With your camera you will either be able to capture the majesty and wideness of a scene, or the depth of it, but it’s hard to do both at the same time.

Psychology to the rescue

The secret is that you don’t have to be as wide as you think. There is an interesting bit of perception psychology that will be your ally. It is called continuation. When viewing pictures, we tend to continue lines or surfaces in our minds. As a photographer, you can make that work in your favor by being clever about the way you frame the picture.

By not showing where something ends, we can make the viewer perceive something to be bigger and wider than it really is.

Have a look at the photo above.

As you explore the picture, you’ll probably notice the big fans first, then the small person next to them, putting things into perspective and giving you a strong hint about the true size of them. Then the rust-colored wall with its interesting textures that seem to go on endlessly to the top and the sides.

The secret: it’s the way the photo is framed that makes the wall seem almost endless. In fact the building ends only a few inches above the frame and doesn’t extend much to the sides either. By not letting on where the wall ends, I made the picture open up in all directions. It makes you continue the wall in your mind.

Look:

Almost disappointing, isn’t it?

So next time you shoot a landscape or any other wide angle shot, give your framing some extra thought to make the viewer perceive a wide angle that is much wider than it actually is.

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDREvery time I prepare a photo tour that centers on landscape photography, there are questions on what photo equipment to bring. The most common theme regarding lenses is: the wider the better. But…Every time I prepare a photo tour that centers on landscape photography, there are questions on what photo equipment to bring. The most common theme regarding lenses is: the wider the better. But while that&#8217;s a natural instinct, a super wide angle is not necessarily the best choice for your landscape photography.
Our eyes
Let&#8217;s first have a look at the angle of view that our eyes can cover. We achieve about an 180 degree horizontal angle with both eyes together. That&#8217;s a lot. To cover that same angle with a super wide angle lens and a full-frame camera, you&#8217;ll need about a 10mm fish-eye. Now let&#8217;s have a look at focal length, e.g. the magnification of our eyes compared to our cameras. This is all a bit of an over-simplification, but our eyes are similar to a 50mm lens in the way they show proportions between things at different distance from the camera.
The main problem is that the 50mm lens only covers about 40 degrees.
So this is where the problem lies: you can&#8217;t bring the two together, our cameras and our eyes are just very different animals:
Camera: 50mm / 40 degrees (normal lens) vs. 10mm / 180 degrees (super wide angle).
Eye: 50mm / 180 degrees (normal &#038; super wide angle at the same time).
Showing depth
There&#8217;s one property of wide angle lenses that we didn&#8217;t talk about yet &#8211; and that&#8217;s their tendency to make things disappear into the background. The shorter the focal length, the more drastic this effect will be. With a fish-eye, everything will become your picture&#8217;s background – unless you get very very close. And with landscapes you are usually not too close, so chances are the whole scene will just not register the way you see it with your eyes.
With your camera you will either be able to capture the majesty and wideness of a scene, or the depth of it, but it&#8217;s hard to do both at the same time.
Psychology to the rescue
The secret is that you don&#8217;t have to be as wide as you think. There is an interesting bit of perception psychology that will be your ally. It is called continuation. When viewing pictures, we tend to continue lines or surfaces in our minds. As a photographer, you can make that work in your favor by being clever about the way you frame the picture.
By not showing where something ends, we can make the viewer perceive something to be bigger and wider than it really is.
Have a look at the photo above.
As you explore the picture, you&#8217;ll probably notice the big fans first, then the small person next to them, putting things into perspective and giving you a strong hint about the true size of them. Then the rust-colored wall with its interesting textures that seem to go on endlessly to the top and the sides.
The secret: it&#8217;s the way the photo is framed that makes the wall seem almost endless. In fact the building ends only a few inches above the frame and doesn&#8217;t extend much to the sides either. By not letting on where the wall ends, I made the picture open up in all directions. It makes you continue the wall in your mind.
Look:
Almost disappointing, isn&#8217;t it?
So next time you shoot a landscape or any other wide angle shot, give your framing some extra thought to make the viewer perceive a wide angle that is much wider than it actually is.
The post The secret to making your wide angle lens even wider – for free appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
752 Augmented Photographyhttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527296
Thu, 10 Nov 2016 17:51:37 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=6837Chris does some speculating on the future of photography, especially in light of the next big wave of computing: Augmented and Mixed Reality – this will impact photography on many different levels. There will be new technical possibilities (think 3D sensing), there will be new ways to present photography (virtual displays), new ways of teaching … Continue reading "752 Augmented Photography"

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Chris does some speculating on the future of photography, especially in light of the next big wave of computing: Augmented and Mixed Reality – this will impact photography on many different levels. There will be new technical possibilities (think 3D sensing), there will be new ways to present photography (virtual displays), new ways of teaching (virtual classes, tours, workshops), and even new creative tools – either that or Chris is completely out of his mind. Chime in in the comments below, with a voice comment (send to voice@tfttf.com) or discuss on the #future-talk channel in the TFTTF Slack. Also Kade asks about ISO and dynamic range and how they are linked together.

]]>Get the eBook 1 Hour 1000 Pics – Supercharge your Lightroom Workflow for free. David wonders what shutter modes Chris uses and prompts him to go deep into his reasoning for or against certain modes. Chris will also look into why over- and underexposure are absolutely fine and sometimes even necessary in some of his photography and illustrates his thoughts with several photos, including group shots from previous photo tours and workshops and a couple of example of his street photography from New York. Certain types of photos can really benefit from over- or underexposure.

Street photography is also what today’s guest is known for.

Photographer Valerie JardinPhotos: Valerie Jardin

Valerie Jardin is a storyteller, a photographer and just fun to be around. Valerie is known for her street photography and looks for those right moments where stories unfold – just to capture them with her camera.

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDR
Get the eBook 1 Hour 1000 Pics – Supercharge your Lightroom Workflow for free. David wonders what shutter modes Chris uses and prompts him to go deep into his reasoning for or against certain m…
Get the eBook 1 Hour 1000 Pics &#8211; Supercharge your Lightroom Workflow for free. David wonders what shutter modes Chris uses and prompts him to go deep into his reasoning for or against certain modes. Chris will also look into why over- and underexposure are absolutely fine and sometimes even necessary in some of his photography and illustrates his thoughts with several photos, including group shots from previous photo tours and workshops and a couple of example of his street photography from New York. Certain types of photos can really benefit from over- or underexposure.
Street photography is also what today&#8217;s guest is known for.
Photographer Valerie Jardin
Photos: Valerie Jardin
Valerie Jardin is a storyteller, a photographer and just fun to be around. Valerie is known for her street photography and looks for those right moments where stories unfold &#8211; just to capture them with her camera.
Street
&#8211; Valerie&#8217;s Website
&#8211; Hit The Streets (Valerie&#8217;s Podcast)
&#8211; Valerie&#8217;s Photo Workshops
&#8211; Chris is guest on Valerie&#8217;s podcast
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Links:
Be a Sponsor on TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR
NOW FREE: 1 Hour 1000 Pics &#8211; Supercharge your Lightroom Workflow
Overexposure example 1: Group Shot Viewfinder Villa
Overexposure example 2: Group Shot Toronto
Underexposure example 1: New York Cafe
Underxposure example 2: 14th Street
Chris is guest on Valerie Jardin&#8217;s podcast and talks about film: Hit The Streets 07: Why Film? With Chris Marquardt
Download the MP3 for this episode
Receive TFTTF updates via email
Photo tours with Chris Marquardt:
» May 2017: Svalbard — Arctic (sold out)
» Oct 2017: Bhutan — The Happiness Kingdom (only 1 spot open)
» Jan 2018: Ladakh — Chadar Trek
» Aug 2018: Ireland — Giant's Causeway
» Sep 2018: Norway — Lofoten Fantastic Fjords
» Oct 2018: Morocco
» all photo tours
The post 751 Giveaway and Modes. Guest: Valerie Jardin appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
750 Should you buy the new MacBook?http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527298
Fri, 28 Oct 2016 18:54:24 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=6807Chris tells you which new laptop he just bought.. and why he made that specific choice. Hint: it’s not the new Apple MacBook Pro. You will hear from Barry who bought a refurbished lens and how he loved the experience, and Rob wants to know if it’s possible to spot edits in a photo, which … Continue reading "750 Should you buy the new MacBook?"

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Chris tells you which new laptop he just bought.. and why he made that specific choice. Hint: it’s not the new Apple MacBook Pro. You will hear from Barry who bought a refurbished lens and how he loved the experience, and Rob wants to know if it’s possible to spot edits in a photo, which prompts Chris to try his best at photo forensics.

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Something different on this episode of Tips from the Top Floor.. let’s do a quick-fire episode.. Three questions, Three answers.. one about filter therapy, one about sharpening grain, and the question of all questions: what on earth is an f-stop.

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Chris listens in in on the Accidental Tech Podcast with John Siracusa, Casey Liss and Marco Arment and tries to bust a few myths around dust in your camera. He just released a video that takes you behind the scenes of a photo shoot with a band. Also Jeremy wonders how much of a disappointment the new Canon 5D Mark IV really is and Chris gives his take on the critique that has been voiced online.

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDR
Chris listens in in on the Accidental Tech Podcast with John Siracusa, Casey Liss and Marco Arment and tries to bust a few myths around dust in your camera. He just released a video that takes you…
Chris listens in in on the Accidental Tech Podcast with John Siracusa, Casey Liss and Marco Arment and tries to bust a few myths around dust in your camera. He just released a video that takes you behind the scenes of a photo shoot with a band. Also Jeremy wonders how much of a disappointment the new Canon 5D Mark IV really is and Chris gives his take on the critique that has been voiced online.
RECEIVE EMAIL FOR NEW EPISODES
Links:
Photo Tours with Chris
Video: Shooting Joo Kraus &#8211; Photo Session with Chris Marquardt
Video: Cleaning Shoes &#8211; Retouching Joo Kraus&#8217;s soles in Lightroom / Photoshop
xkcd: Duty Calls (aka &#8220;Someone is wrong on the internet&#8221;)
Accidental Tech Podcast: 190: The Girl Who Never Came Over
The Two Hosers Photo Show
Particle Sizes
Dust reduction system &#8211; Wikipedia
tfttf746 &#8211; An Embarrassing Story
The Apocalypse of Lens Dust (lensrentals.com)
I Don’t Know Why It Swallowed a Fly – Weather Sealed Lens With a Fly Inside (lensrentals.com)
Front Element Scratches (lensrentals.com)
Download the MP3 for this episode
Receive TFTTF updates via email
Photo tours with Chris Marquardt:
» May 2017: Svalbard — Arctic (sold out)
» Oct 2017: Bhutan — The Happiness Kingdom (only 1 spot open)
» Jan 2018: Ladakh — Chadar Trek
» Aug 2018: Ireland — Giant's Causeway
» Sep 2018: Norway — Lofoten Fantastic Fjords
» Oct 2018: Morocco
» all photo tours
The post 748 Bust The Dust appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
Joo Kraus: The JooJazz Photo Shoothttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527301
Mon, 10 Oct 2016 15:13:00 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=6692When I did the photo shoot with musician Joo Kraus last year, he and the Tales in Tones Trio were still in the process of mixing their new album JooJazz – and I believe that album name was actually coined during that photo session. For me, shooting with a band is always a treat. Shooting … Continue reading "Joo Kraus: The JooJazz Photo Shoot"

]]>When I did the photo shoot with musician Joo Kraus last year, he and the Tales in Tones Trio were still in the process of mixing their new album JooJazz – and I believe that album name was actually coined during that photo session.

For me, shooting with a band is always a treat. Shooting for an album is even more fun, because both sides are working towards a goal. The musicians want to release an album, the photographer wants to contribute his best work for it. It’s also a treat for these two reasons: First of all I’m a musician myself, so I know the lingo, I know what makes them tick and that makes the session so much easier for both sides. Second, these guys are up on stage all the time, so they are not afraid to go out in front of a camera. They are used to it.

The amount of cool stuff Joo, Ralf, Veit and Torsten offered me during the session (visually I mean!) was amazing and they were up to pretty much everything I could throw at them. Sit down in a corner in a cold stairway? Game. Play around a porta potti? Sure. Sit in a old cafe while wearing a clown’s mask? Absolutely!

Luckily my friend Allan Attridge (pro video guy and host and producer of The Two Hosers photo show) was around to capture footage at the event, so you can come a long and have a peek behind the scenes of this photo shoot.

]]>Chris Marquardtnotfttf,photography,photo,learn,class,digital,film,camera,tips,tricks,howto,picture,slr,canon,nikon,lightroom,business,computer,art,exposure,composition,creative,HDRWhen I did the photo shoot with musician Joo Kraus last year, he and the Tales in Tones Trio were still in the process of mixing their new album JooJazz – and I believe that album name was actually c…When I did the photo shoot with musician Joo Kraus last year, he and the Tales in Tones Trio were still in the process of mixing their new album JooJazz &#8211; and I believe that album name was actually coined during that photo session.
For me, shooting with a band is always a treat. Shooting for an album is even more fun, because both sides are working towards a goal. The musicians want to release an album, the photographer wants to contribute his best work for it. It&#8217;s also a treat for these two reasons: First of all I&#8217;m a musician myself, so I know the lingo, I know what makes them tick and that makes the session so much easier for both sides. Second, these guys are up on stage all the time, so they are not afraid to go out in front of a camera. They are used to it.
The amount of cool stuff Joo, Ralf, Veit and Torsten offered me during the session (visually I mean!) was amazing and they were up to pretty much everything I could throw at them. Sit down in a corner in a cold stairway? Game. Play around a porta potti? Sure. Sit in a old cafe while wearing a clown&#8217;s mask? Absolutely!
Luckily my friend Allan Attridge (pro video guy and host and producer of The Two Hosers photo show) was around to capture footage at the event, so you can come a long and have a peek behind the scenes of this photo shoot.
A few more shots from that day:
Joo Kraus &#038; Tales in Tones &#8211; Sole Music. Photo: Chris Marquardt
Joo Kraus &#8211; all ears. Photo: Chris Marquardt
Joo Kraus &#8211; Trumpet on Head. Photo: Chris Marquardt
Joo Kraus &#038; Tales in Tones &#8211; Out for Coffee. Photo: Chris Marquardt
Joo Kraus &#038; Tales in Tones &#8211; Porta Potti. Photo: Chris Marquardt
Joo Kraus &#038; Tales in Tones &#8211; Bliss. Photo: Chris Marquardt
Links: Joo Kraus, Allan Attridge
The post Joo Kraus: The JooJazz Photo Shoot appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.
747 Aurora From A Moving Platformhttp://tracking.feedpress.it/link/14847/6527302
Thu, 06 Oct 2016 16:54:07 +0000Chris Marquardthttp://tipsfromthetopfloor.com/?p=6683Chris talks about shooting the aurora from a moving ship, what the challenges are and how to overcome them and incorporate them into your photography in a creative way. Thomasz asks why not just do long exposures from a tripod instead of buying a new camera. Also Chris finally gets around to review the September … Continue reading "747 Aurora From A Moving Platform"

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Chris talks about shooting the aurora from a moving ship, what the challenges are and how to overcome them and incorporate them into your photography in a creative way. Thomasz asks why not just do long exposures from a tripod instead of buying a new camera. Also Chris finally gets around to review the September slack challenge – and release pixie Matt comes on the show to introduce the next photo challenge: OPPOSITE (with a twist)

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Richard wants to shoot the northern lights in Iceland with a 12 year old DSLR and you can hear Chris finally say that sometimes it’s in fact the gear., Andy points us to a cause that’s worth volunteering for, Joe reports back on his brother-in-law’s successes with his box camera and Ryan wonders about the advantages of shooting ETTL flash over manual. Also Chris will tell you a very embarrassing story about how he got his creative butt kicked by a lens with the wrong filter diameter.